Migrants In Transit: Escaping War And Poverty In Budapest
According to volunteers, more than 3,500 migrants passed through Budapest's Keleti railway station in a single day (September 9) on their way to Prague and Vienna. Many of them had traveled to Hungary from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and other countries, which are either conflict zones or whose economies have been destroyed by war. A significant increase in migrants is expected in Budapest in the coming days as the Hungarian government is expected to close its border with Serbia by September 15. After that date, migrants with have to choose either to stay in Serbia or to cross the border illegally. (Photos by RFE/RL's Russian Service correspondent Anton Naumlyuk in Budapest)
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Migrants are mainly arriving in Budapest via neighboring Serbia, with whom Hungary has a simplified border-crossing regime. Many of them hope to travel onward from the Hungarian capital to Austria, Germany, and other EU countries. The tents in the picture have been erected in a designated transit area for migrants in a pedestrian underpass near Keleti railway station.
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Hungarian authorities are trying to ensure that the migrants do not stay too long in Budapest. Those who have no medical conditions usually spend just a few hours in front of the railway station. Despite the huge numbers of migrants passing through Budapest each day, there is rarely more than a few hundred of them in the one place at any time.
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Shoes and clothes have been placed in piles on the floor so that anyone can take what they need.
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Impromptu supply stations have been set up to provide migrants with basic provisions.
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Upon arrival, migrants undergo health check-ups in a doctor's office, where they are also given medical assistance if necessary.
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A young Afghan washes his feet under a tap in the street. He also washed his hair before going to a restroom to dry it under a hand drier.
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Two large solar batteries have also been donated so that migrants can recharge mobile phones.
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Volunteers have been organizing painting and other leisure activites for migrant children.
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The migrants have been a source of curiousity for many Budapest residents.
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